Search For New Superintendent A Priority For S-O School Board

Search Committee & Pamphlet Both New Tools Used By Board

by Travis Curry SEW Editor

Search Committee & Pamphlet Both New Tools Used By Board

As the Spencer-Owen Community Schools search for a new superintendent, several factors, including compensation and timing, may complicate the pursuit, even as the schools burnish an image as a successful rural district.

Thus far, the school district has distributed several applications with the assistance of a university placement committee made up of area college representatives and says it expects to have a final candidate in place by late November.

"It's a situation where we need a superintendent and the timing isn't necessarily perfect," said Tom Abrell, president of the Spencer-Owen School Board.

Most superintendent contracts in Indiana expire on June 30, making this a potentially difficult time for a sitting superintendent to leave a job in order to lead another district.

"The school board was advised by the university placement committee that a search in September and October would provide a much larger pool of candidates, as compared to late spring and summer," Abrell said. "The university placement committee helps with a significant number of superintendent selections each year in Indiana. The committee, made up of personal from Indiana University, Purdue University, Indiana State University, and Ball State University, advised on over 40 superintendent selections in Indiana last year."

Even so, Abrell said the prospect of S-OCS choosing a promising candidate remains high, though the list will likely include several candidates who are second- or third-incommand at another district, and lacking superintendent experience.

"It's tough at this time of year, but there are people out there," Abrell said.

With an eye toward community and faculty involvement, board members have been meeting with staff members from each school building, and have established an online questionnaire at www.socs. k12.in.us.

"Essentially, we just want to get as much input as possible," Abrell said.

In an effort to reach as many potential candidates as possible, the school corporation worked with World Arts, Inc. of Spencer to assemble a detailed, four-page pamphlet describing each school building and the school corporation as a whole.

"The board felt by doing a pamphlet, a potential candidate for the superintendent position would receive an informing snapshot of Spencer-Owen Schools and Owen County," Abrell said. "The position was posted statewide and the pamphlet provides information for those candidates not familiar with S-OCS. We used multiple examples completed by other school systems during their searches. The Indiana School Board Association offered the examples and was instrumental in the production of the pamphlet."

At a current annual salary of $108,000, Abrell said S-OCS will be competitive with other school systems of similar size in attracting qualified mid-year candidates.